Pendleton News

Motomail: Next-day delivery for some in Iraq

Lance Cpl. Russel Smith

Marines in Iraq who want faster service than "snail mail" and something a little more tactile than e-mail will be grateful to learn about "MotoMail."

The pilot program allows anyone with Internet access to send printed letters to Marines in Iraq - with the mail in their hands in as little as eight hours.

"Right now, (units in Iraq) have been printing at 6 a.m. their time, so letters posted at 8 p.m. our time are getting there the next morning," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Don L. McCarty Jr., who implemented the system.

"I think it's a great program," said Kathy Reist, a coordinator for the Key Volunteer Network. "During OIF I, communication was bad. Now, communication is so much better and easier. Anything that makes communication faster with our Marines and sailors makes our life easier."

Faster is what MotoMail is all about, McCarty said. Letters can reach Marines in as little as eight hours after being posted by the sender. But the turnaround time can vary with the distance of the unit from the nearest MotoMail printing center, McCarty said. Delivery time averages around 24 hours after print, he added.

MotoMail's speed doesn't compromise other imperatives, McCarty said.

"We really stress the security and privacy of the system," he said. Letters will be read only by the writer and receiver, he emphasized.

The key to security and speed is the fully automated printing centers set up at four Marine Corps bases in Iraq. Machines print, fold, seal and sort the mail according to unit, McCarty added. The letters are printed in a format similar to secure bank letters, with MotoMail logos printed on the back to ensure letters aren't read before they're opened.

"The printing is easy. We made it as simple to use as possible," said Staff Sgt. Timothy D. Tomlin, a Headquarters Marine Corps postal clerk who helped implement the program.

Correspondence is either hand-delivered during "mail call" at the camp or sent via military convoy to a remote camp.

To send a MotoMail letter, just log on to www.motomail.us, set up an account, make a contacts list, select the person to receive, then write and send the letter, McCarty said. Units that can receive MotoMail are listed on a scroll-down menu. After selecting the unit, just input the recipient's name.

Currently, only Marines and Navy corpsmen attached to Marine units in Iraq can receive MotoMail. Other branches of the service are waiting to see how well the system works, according to McCarty.

"The MotoMail system is based on the very successful British system called E-Bluey," McCarty said. "(E-Bluey) has been in use for the last five years to send free messages to personnel stationed at locations around the world." Up to half the mail British troops receive are through the E-Bluey system, he added.

Testing and distribution of the new postal system will occur in three phases, McCarty said. Phase one consists of limited testing during Operation Iraqi Freedom II and III, after which the system will either be fully integrated or abandoned. Phase Two would deploy MotoMail stations to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Djibouti. In the third phase, MotoMail would be deployed to Marine bases in Japan and other overseas duty stations, he said.

E-mail Lance Cpl. Smith at russell.j.smith @usmc.mil.